Hello, Enzo! (PokéTales)
''Hello, Enzo! ''is the first chapter of Kalos Rejuvenated, the first entry in the PokéTales ''series created and written by 15bowdenc. Story Today was the day. Finally, after no less than a dozen birthdays, he had reached the coveted minimum age to obtain a Pokémon License. He paced around his room excitedly and, at the low-pitched call of his father, sprung out of his room as if he had suddenly been hit with a Thunderbolt attack. Stopping momentarily to glance out of the window as he hauled his jacket on, he spied at least four other individuals the same age as he, enthusiastically travelling to the Geosenge Town Hall, some accompanied by adults, some not. As Enzo leapt out of the door, the spring morning atmosphere hit him, and rays of sunlight illuminated his pale face. As he raced on ahead, following the sound of the crowd of twelve-year-olds advancing upon the centre of the town, where the Ultimate Weapon had once laid three years prior during what Pokémon historians were now referring to as the Flare Crisis, the warning screeches of his overprotective mother filled his ears. After a few seconds, the giggles of his younger sister were but distant whispers. He was just in time; as he threw himself through the door of the town hall, his parents gingerly trying to catch up with him, a short boy with shoulder-length hair the colour of a Rapidash’s fiery mane gently threw a Poké Ball onto the desk, from which a Rotom sprung to the amazement of the gathered crowd of children. After emitting an odd artificial sound resembling a bellow of laughter, the Rotom immediately adapted its crimson body to resemble the shape of a tablet. Within mere milliseconds, a friendly face materialised on the screen, with flowing jet black hair and a millionaire smile. “Hello there, children!”, the man exclaimed with a stark passion. “Today is the day you finally come into the world of Pokémon training!”. This enthused comment sent waves of cheers through the expectant audience. “I’m sure many of you know me already, but for those who do not, my name is Professor Augustine Sycamore, and I am the resident Pokémon researcher of the beautiful Kalos region. The young man you see before you is my new assistant, Trevor, who is about to invite you to choose a Pokémon each to begin your journeys as trainers.”. Hushed yet excited chatter soon erupted amongst Enzo’s peers, which was silenced by the professor’s next sentence. “Be wise about your selection, and please only take one, as I have only been able to provide one Pokémon for each of you who have completed the Pokémon License Application form. Please be aware that not all of this Pokémon are considered regular starter Pokémon due to a current shortage of eggs from the Daycare. Thank you, and please make sure to come visit me in Lumiose City if you have the chance!”. With that, the Rotom flew with a certain vigour back into its Poké Ball, which was returned to Trevor’s pocket. He gingerly stepped forward and proclaimed: “Please form an orderly line to receive your first Pokémon. There is only one for each of you so please be respectful towards your peers when taking them. I will only open the box when you are silent.”. Even at such a young age, Enzo could clearly sense Trevor’s nervousness and guessed the line he just stated had been rehearsed several times at the Pokémon Lab. The room flew into a cacophony of movement as Enzo was pushed to the back; residing at the head of the queue was the daughter of the mayor, Mathilde; ever since their time as reading partners at the Pokémon Trainers’ School in Geosenge, she had been constantly tormenting him with petty and snarky comments. Her father, a successful businessman, had provided financial aid to Geosenge to help repair the damage done during the Flare Crisis, and as a result was elected the new leader of the town following the ousting of the previous incumbent as an administrator of Team Flare itself. She looked back at him with a coy yet victorious glance which caused his blood to boil. As the line and the many parents surrounding it fell into silence, she stepped forward with a respectful attitude only shown to adults (a fact Enzo knew too well after witnessing her interactions with their teacher at the school) and studied the images before her. The box contained five Poké Balls, and above each of them was a description of the elemental creature inside as well as an accompanying image. After several seconds of deliberation, she placed her hand confidently upon the middle ball and extracted it from its place in the box, walking smugly to the side to join her parents. Mathilde immediately placed her finger on the circular disc in the centre of the ball to release the Pokémon within, and in thirty seconds or less the entire crowd was adoring her new Froakie. The frog Pokémon seemed to enjoy the attention, and at one point looked towards its new owner with a determined glint in its large eye. The queue slowly shortened, intersped with the irritating sounds of proud parents gleefully embracing their offspring, until Enzo was faced with the final Poké Ball, which Trevor had removed from the case to personally hand to him. As a result, he was unable to view the descriptors accompanying the ball and would not know of its contents until he released the Pokémon for the world to see; when he did, he was filled with a deep, murderous regret. It was a Bunnelby. When the Trainers’ School had visited the Pokémon Daycare adjacent to the Battle Chateau, Mathilde had pointed out to one of her many friends that Bunnelby was one of the weakest Pokémon in all of Kalos, and a trainer had never once used it that had eventually become Kalos Champion. When she came waltzing over to ‘congratulate’ him on his ‘choice’, instead he picked up his leporine pocket monster and exited the town hall, closely followed by his concerned parents and blissfully unaware sibling. He did not speak until they reached their home on the outskirts of town, after which he exploded into tears of frustration. It took forty-five minutes to calm him down, after which he sat, defeated, on the couch, looking unenthusiastically at his new furry partner, which was viewing him with a subtle curiosity on the coffee table. He soon overheard the furious whispers of his parents: “What if I traded him one of my Pokémon? I have a Dedenne I just traded.” “Chloe, do you honestly think that will help? Enzo needs to learn to trust his Pokémon and learn to love it”. “Well, I think it’s rather clear he does not trust this Bunnelby, Arthur. It seems that little Ines is more interested in it that he is.” After some more incoherent babbling he could bother to understand, Enzo sighed deeply and again laid his hazel eyes on his rabbit Pokémon. After a few moments, the creature tilted its head, causing its lengthy and supple ears to make contact with the oak wood table. After hearing a faint laugh from four-year-old Ines, it began leaping up and down, its ears flying to and fro to the amusement of the child and bewilderment of the teenager. At that moment, the two adults entered the room and sat down on the opposite side of the room, facing away from the Bunnelby, though the pocket monster followed them to the seat with its piercing eyes. Arthur dragged his large hands down his face and sighed. Chloe opened her mouth, but her chance to speak was stopped at her son’s interjection. “I know what you’re going to say, and no, I don’t like it right now, but I’ll learn to live with it, and hopefully I’ll grow to like Bunnelby. So yes, I’m going to start my journey as a Pokémon trainer, taking on the Pokémon League Challenge as you suggested, despite the situation with my starter Pokémon and despite having to come across Mathilde regularly. Does that solve everything?” His parents responded with hasty nods. Without a word, he took his Pokémon and climbed the stairs to pack his things. His father had given him the bag he had used as a Pokémon trainer – in his youth he was a seasoned battling professional, but now worked as a miner in Reflection Cave, delivering rare evolution stones and Rock-type Pokémon to Cyllage City to be exported. In the bag he packed a pre-prepared sack containing apples, berries, bread and cheese, as well as a few bottles of water, for him to take as food to hold him over until he reached the next major settlement to buy more. With his completion of the Pokémon License Application he was granted 500 PokéDollars for use on his journey, but his parents had also given him an additional 1000, giving him a small fortune – though likely nothing compared to what Mathilde would be starting out with. His father had already taught him the basics of battling and catching Pokémon and had bought him some Poké Balls and Potions to take with him. Alongside these his mother had also packed a change of clothes and his favourite Eevee plush toy, which he quickly discarded from the bag with embarrassment. He had received his Pokédex alongside his License weeks prior, and he packed both into the bag’s front pocket. With a grimace, he then looked over to the innocent, expectant Bunnelby. He kneeled down to meet its eyes and put out his hand. Without a second thought, the Bunnelby playfully nuzzled it and bounced up and down. Enzo smiled faintly. “Maybe you and me will work out alright”, he said, giving it a quick pat on the forehead before bringing out its Poké Ball and pressing the silver disc in the middle, retracting the creature into its container. While he contemplated placing it in his bag, instead he kept it safely in the pocket of his hooded jacket. After five minutes of tearful farewells and wishes of good luck from his family, Enzo stepped out into the world of Pokémon, and never once looked back. Characters * Enzo (series debut) * Mathilde (series debut) * Augustine Sycamore (series debut) * Arthur (series debut) * Chloe (series debut) * Ines (series debut) * Trevor (series debut) Pokémon * Bunnelby (Enzo's, recently acquired, series debut) * Froakie (Mathilde's, recently acquired, series debut) * Rotom (Trevor's, series debut) * Dedenne (Chloe's, series debut) Trivia * The author chose to make Enzo's hometown Geosenge to show the changes that had taken place in the three years since ''X and Y. * Enzo being forced to have a Bunnelby as his starter Pokémon is meant to resemble Ash Ketchum's journey beginning with him acquiring a Pikachu instead of one of the three normal Kanto starter Pokémon. * The chapter was titled purposefully similarly to the episodes of the Pokémon Anime. Category:PokéTales Category:PokéTales chapters Category:15bowdenc Category:Kalos Rejuvenated chapters